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Streamlining your kitchen by removing a prep step can be tempting, but using pre-prepped produce also brings risks beyond your control, especially with items lacking a kill step. This year, there were two major prepped onion recalls: Gill’s Onions for Salmonella Thompson contamination in winter and Taylor Farms last week for possible E. coli O157:H7. Processing facilities like the Taylor Farms plant in Colorado have strict safety protocols, but from the very beginning, produce is exposed to potential contamination on the farm. Consider whether it’s worth bringing prepped raw onions back into your kitchen. Cooking them can significantly reduce risk if you’re open to a menu change. Prepping whole produce on-site carries its own risks—like when an employee forgets to wash their hands after using the bathroom—but it would impact fewer people if foodborne illness occurred in that scenario. Irradiation is another option, though unpopular. A recent study found that nearly 1 in 3 foodborne illness outbreaks were linked to irradiation-eligible food that wasn’t irradiated, but it remains unpopular with consumers. For now, focus on what you can control: your menu, veggie washing & prep processes, and food safety training.
Sources: Reuters, CIDRAP, CDC, FDA
Allergies do not cause fever - it’s as simple as that. Despite the common name “hay fever” for allergies, don’t be fooled. If your employee has a fever of 100.4°F or higher, they shouldn’t be at work. They should stay home until they’re at least 24 hours fever-free without taking fever-reducing medications. It could be a viral or bacterial infection, especially if they have other cold symptoms, but it’s definitely not just allergies. Sometimes, allergies can cause congestion, which leads to a sinus infection, for example, but allergies alone won’t cause a high temperature.
Source: AAAAI
For a long time, E. coli outbreaks were linked to undercooked beef, but with advancements in time-temperature controls and regulations, fruits and veggies are more likely to be the culprit these days.